Brothers of the Knight

By Debbie Allen

Book Overview

Debbie Allen's contemporary retelling of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses with illustrations from Kadir Nelson!

Reverend Knight can't understand why his twelve sons' sneakers are torn to threads each and every morning, and the boys aren't talking. They know their all-night dancing wouldn't fit with their father's image in the community. Maybe Sunday, a pretty new nanny with a knack for getting to the bottom of household mysteries, can crack the case. This modern, hip retelling of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses bursts with vibrant artwork and text that's as energetic as the twelve toe-tapping Knight brothers themselves.

"A funky, fresh adaptation." --Publishers Weekly

"This is a high-flying alternative to the tale's usual dainty renditions." --Kirkus Reviews

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142300160
• ISBN13: 9780142300169
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 8.3" x 10.8"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

For every child

It's a wonderful story full of surprises. Exceptional pictures!

Wonderful!

Reverend Knight, a straight-laced and dignified preacher and father of twelve wonderful sons, has a problem. Each morning his sons' shoes are utterly worn out, and no one can figure out how it happens. One day a miracle comes to the Reverend's home in the shape of a new nanny, sweet Sunday. Using a magic scarf, Sunday follows the young men across the rooftops of Harlem to the Big Band Ballroom, where they proceed to dance the night away--and their shoes to pieces. Now that she knows their secret, it is time to teach the young Knights a lesson, and maybe even their father as well.My son selected this book, and I couldn't be happier. The story is a wonderful updating of the classic tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, which is both magical and yet very real. The illustrations, by Kadir Nelson, are wonderful, adding some real power and animation to the story. I love this book, and recommend it to you with all my heart.

Reflection

I truly enjoyed this reading experience. It is cute and catchy and the illustrations are wonderful. On a deeper level I feel that this story speaks to parent-child communication. As adults, often times we may forget that our children are reflections of us. They come from us. They are the essence of our beings. Sometimes the very thing we try to suppress is the exact thing that our children are drawn to most. Why? Because they come from us. Part of us lives in them. Open, honest communication is the best way to plant seeds in our children's lives. Like a mirror looking back at you, our children will be what they see in us.Peace

Fabulously written and Illustrated - A joy to read!

I was browsing in a bookstore today, looking for nothing specific when I happen to come across this great book. I have an 8 yr. old son and I immediately thought that this book would be great for him just by looking at the cover. I sat down in one of those pre-school chairs and began reading. The characters come alive as never before in a children's book. Some books you have to bring much life into the characters. Not this book! The way Debbie Allen gives such detail when she describes the characters, even their names is great. That gives young minds much understanding and teaches them as well as allowing their imaginations to be free. The expressions of the characters are so full of life. Something that our young children don't see enough of. Thank you Debbie for loving our youngsters with such excitement!

Dancin' the Knight away...

Rev. Knight is a fine, upstanding Harlem preacher with 12 sons and one dog. It's actually the dog who is telling the story. Quips he-- "That's right, I'm a talking dog. It's a magical story. (You didn't say anything when that pig was talking in that movie... quiet!)"Rev. Knight, in addition to having 12 sons (and presumably a very full house and schedule) also has a problem: every night his sons go to sleep but wake up to find their shoes completely worn out. After a rotating slew of housekeepers fails to solve the mystery, radiant housekeeper Sunday moves in. As it turns out, the boys are sneaking out via a secret door in their very loooong bed with the aid of a pointy-eared fellow called the Cookie Man. Once out of bed-- and out of the locked bedroom-- they proceed on to Big Band Ballroom where everyone dances the night away... Including Sunday, who has donned her special cloak of invisibility.The story is both a retelling of "The 12 Dancing Princesses" and based on live performances at Kennedy center. However, it left ME (admittedly an adult who may be inclined to ask more probing questions than a younger audience) a bit curious. Secret door in the bed? The Cookie Man? Invisible cloak? Twelve sons and no mother? Dancing at the Big Band Ballroom all night? The story flows, but leaves me feeling like the author is telling the story to an audience who already knows more history of these folk than I do. The brothers, for example, have wonderful names like Snacky, Lazy Leo and Big Fat Raoul "(likes to act a fool)", and obviously run the gamut in age from 7-17, but we don't know anything about them other than they like to dance (and I'm still curious as to how Rev. Knight GOT 12 sons-- adoption? Biological? Foster care? Homeless youth? What? ). Similarly, Sunday, who arrives with her Mary Poppins-like suitcase that holds a scarf of invisibility is not really well fleshed out, either. As for the Cookie Man, well...The illustrations are simply amazing-- very lively and eye catching, reason enough to get the book. The language is contemporary and easily paced--the dog tells us that Tiny Tappin' Theo's dance partner ain't nearly as phat as that Irish setter down the street! It's a lively story with a surprise ending, but I'd still like to know, in more detail, who the main players are.